Article first published in the Northern
Ceramic Newsletter, issue 147, September 2007.
Articles by Graham Oliver
The Holmes Pottery
Recently,
from a antiques centre in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, I purchased
thirteen pieces from a dinner service, comprising ten large dinner
plates, two platters and one stilton stand (figure 1) and although a
fairly simple pattern it is typical of earthenware from most
factories of that period.
What make this unusual is that all the 13 pieces are superbly marked
(figure 2) with the full name of pattern and registration date (May
1871).
This is most uncommon as in 15 years I have only seen a very small
number of marked examples, the majority of which are in Rotherham
museum.
I also illustrate from my collection a sepia jug with a printed mark
JJ and CO Falconry (figures 3 and 4). In Yorkshire Pots and
Potteries (H. Lawrence, David and Charles, 1974) by Heather
Lawrence she states that very little was marked and such pieces are
rarely seen and that the name of the pattern was incorporated with
the maker's mark, as is the case with the items dealt with in this
paper.
The pottery was built by a Thomas Jarvis around 1850 in Psalter
Lane, Holmes a short distance from the centre of Rotherham. Greaves
and Ernshaw ran the pottery for the first 4 years 1850-1854;
Dickinson and Jackson 1854-1860; John Jackson and Co., 1860-1887;
George Shaw and sons 1887-1909 then from 1909 until 1931 when the
works closed down it was George Shaw and Sons Ltd., and the works
stood empty for some years before demolition.
At
the time of the items illustrated, the pottery was run by Mr John
Jackson who was born in 1818 at Greasborough and upon leaving school
was apprenticed to the Bramelds at the Swinton works. He was
apparently involved in the production of the legendry dessert
service made for William the fourth. When the works closed John went
to work as manager at the Don Pottery before moving to the Holmes
pottery around 1860, and in 1871 the pottery was purchased by John
Jackson, and George Shaw from 1875. John suffered from ill health
and died in July 1880.
Recently,
from a antiques centre in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, I purchased
thirteen pieces from a dinner service, comprising ten large dinner
plates, two platters and one stilton stand (figure 1) and although a
fairly simple pattern it is typical of earthenware from most
factories of that period.
Heather
Lawrence she states that very little was marked and such pieces are
rarely seen and that the name of the pattern was incorporated with
the maker's mark, as is the case with the items dealt with in this
paper.
At
the time of the items illustrated, the pottery was run by Mr John
Jackson who was born in 1818 at Greasborough and upon leaving school
was apprenticed to the Bramelds at the Swinton works. He was
apparently involved in the production of the legendry dessert
service made for William the fourth. When the works closed John went
to work as manager at the Don Pottery before moving to the Holmes
pottery around 1860, and in 1871 the pottery was purchased by John
Jackson, and George Shaw from 1875. John suffered from ill health
and died in July 1880.
